A Modern Take on Modern War.

2010.05.18

Authority From the Authorities!

At last! Some kind of clarity on why we're in Afghanistan, and also, some kind of idea of when we're likely to be out. "End state, not end date." Don't know who said that, will have to find out tomorrow, but it appears that that is what the new Defense Secretary, Liam Fox is suggesting today.

In this post, Helmand Blog author Major Paul Smyth, picks out the key points from an interview given by Dr Fox (ha! But he actually is a doctor). Perhaps the most important is the assertion that:

"Success means a stable enough Afghanistan, able to manage its own internal and external security without our involvement there.

"That means getting the Afghan National Security Forces up to strength, training them as quickly as we can so that they can carry out that role of their security and we can come home."

A stable enough Afghanistan, so that we can come home. That is a perfect endeavour. Remains to be seen whether the government will have the stones to back it up, if people start complaining that "it's taking too long."

This is going to be a long, slow, painful process. To quote Lawrence again: "Like eating soup with a knife."